Make way for the Mother superior!
From Philadelphia to the world, Sapphira Cristál is seizing her spotlight and shining brighter than ever. After famously auditioning for RuPaul’s Drag Race 11 times, she finally made it on to this year’s 16th season, where she stomped her dance shoes all the way to the finale.
Sapphira is proof positive that all things happen exactly when they should, because she’s immediately following up her run on Drag Race by being everywhere this summer—and we mean everywhere.
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For starters, we all know she’s got a set of pipes on her, and she’s putting those to good use, delivering bop after bop, from the self-empowerment anthem “Enough” to the funky-fresh “Get Your Flowers.”
But just because she’s dropping tracks to get you dancing doesn’t mean she’s done with opera. Recently, she linked up with fellow classically trained RuGirls Monét X Change and Thorgy Thor to bring Soundcake to life, her years-in-the-making extravaganza that blends the operatic with the drag-tastic for a unique “aural confection.” The show premiered at NYC’s famed Lincoln Center last month to a sold-out crowd.
Up next, she’s touring North America with her solo show The Cristál Ball, which kicks off in Vancouver on July 11. Of course, fans can expect mind-blowing live vocals, top-notch drag, and a whole lot of that Sapphira Cristál magic, though it also sounds like it’ll be something of an interactive experience? In other words, you better be ready for one unforgettable night!
With The Cristál Ball just around the corner, it was the perfect time to welcome Sapphira Cristál as the latest guest of our rapid-fire Q&A series, Dishin’ It. In our conversation, the congenial queen opens up about feeling like “an alien in this world” at times, how opera helped her find her voice, and why Philadelphia is the “underdog” city that’ll make you feel like a winner.
Is there a piece of media—whether a movie, TV series, book, album, theater, video game, etc…—that has played an important role in your understanding of queerness and the queer community? Why does it stand out to you?
I’ve always felt like a bit of an alien in this world, and thus sometimes I don’t feel like totally represented in media as a person. That said, I really liked Pose—Pose was a time where I got to see queer, Black people being queer, Black people, and it not being the butt of the joke of the story, or we weren’t necessarily just the “sassy black gay friend” who also happened to be very insightful. We were every single part of it, and it showed the strength that we have as queer, Black people, and that we have to have as queer, Black people. And so I would say Pose is the first time that I saw something on television where I was like, “I have to watch every single episode,” because collectively it does feel very representative of a good portion of me.
Your latest single “Enough” is dedicated to your beloved city Philadelphia, which also gets a lovely spotlight in the video. It’s such a great self-empowerment anthem, but what makes it a great anthem for Philly in your mind?
Philadelphia is like the underdog of all things at all times. I freaking love Philadelphia because they’re so scrappy, too. They always feel like they have to prove themselves in every single thing, but they believe so hard in themselves! When I moved there, I was like, “Oh, this is a really cool place” But, I mean, they idolize Rocky… Rocky’s not even real. [Laughs.] Rocky also lost the first fight—in the first movie he completely lost, and yet they’re like, “Yeah! That guy!” [Laughs.]
But they don’t care. As long as you represent them, as long as you’re here, as long as you remember that you are enough, they will also feel that way for you—and actually they’ll feel more for you.
Philadelphia kind of built me up into into the person that I am. When I got to Philly, I was a little down, but I still believed in myself—and I always will, and always have. My mother raised me with love—she just always reminded me to always believe in myself, and if I wanted to do something, there’s a proper way to do it: You have to go down the path that will get you to exactly what you want to go.
So “Enough” is a love letter to myself, it’s a love letter to Philadelphia, and I want everyone to remember that they are more than enough. In this world of people always trying to make you think that feeling like you’re less than is cool? It’s not cool! It’s okay to have your feelings, and I think your emotions are valid—you should definitely go through that—but I do not want to celebrate this whole life of self doubt and questioning oneself. That’s not the kind of energy I want in the world. And so, because that’s not the kind of energy I want in the world, it’s not the kind of not the kind of music I’m going to put in the world.
The Cristál Ball tour is imminent, and I’m sure fans are ready for some vocals and some top-notch drag, but can you tease a little bit more about some of the surprises in store? When mapping out what this show was going to be, what did you want it to say about you and your art?
Well, you kind of just open your mind to the possibilities. Whenever I do anything, I take a poll, I do a roundtable of sorts, and people throw out ideas. And I say, “Oh, I like that. I want to go with that!”—because no one who did it really well did it alone. We’re all in this together. So, as many artists, directors, designers, choreographers, and as many voices as I can get in my head… I am the end product, but I’m not going to make sure that every single thing only flows though my head.
The Cristál Ball Tour is magical and mystical—because, when you think of a crystal ball, you think of the mystic arts, you think of magic. I originally thought of it just being like a ball—not even thinking about the “crystal ball,” not even thinking about the most obvious thing right here. [Laughs.] But when you go to a medium, they look in their crystal ball and they tell you about your future—so the tour’s going to have a lot of audience interaction there. Because, you know, if I go to a show, I don’t want to just sit my butt down and watch the whole thing the whole time, you know? In this day and age where everyone has ADHD—and it’s being even exacerbated by social media—it’s really hard to concentrate on shows. But this show will be something that you want to concentrate on because…. maybe I’m gonna call your name, you know?
Speaking of touring: What’s the worst/strangest/most interesting drag gig you’ve ever done. (Feel free to tell us a story here, but no need to get specific and name names!)
You know? I would say no, because I don’t give off the kind of energy that says you can just do whatever with me. And thus people tend to start to straighten up and fly right when they know that I’m coming around. And that’s not me warning anyone—it’s just one of the things that I have noticed. People have said that, “Oh, when I went to this person, it was so weird,” or “they were so odd,” but then when I went they were doing none of that—they were very kind. So I’m like, “Who are y’all talking about?”
I feel like you get what you put out. And if you put out, “I don’t know how I want to be treated,” that’s what you gon’ get! You’re gonna get all sorts of feelings. You’re gonna experience all sorts of things. But I make it very clear exactly how I like to be treated.
You and Monet X Change just gaged the Lincoln Center with your first Soundcake show. Can you talk a little bit more about the origins of that show and what “Soundcake” means?
For the longest time in my life, I wanted to travel the world with an orchestra. I started with the Eastman Repertory Orchestra, but it never became anything. So then I wanted to start a drag orchestra, and [at the time] Mimi Imfurst had been doing some calls to sort of make amends for some some issues that had been going on in Philadelphia. So she called me and said, “What can I do?” And I said, “You can do for me to teach me how to be a good business person”—because she always had that on lock. So when told her I want to conduct an orchestra and go around the world with it, she’s like, “Well, you’ve got to figure out a name first!”
We originated with the name Pop-era, which was cool, but then I called my dad, because he’s always been so good at naming things. He loved the idea and gave me a million ideas—one of them was Knights Of The Sound table, but then he said Soundcake: Oral Confections, which really stood out to Mimi and me. So the years went by and I’ve sort of just had that in my back pocket.
So, then I did Drag Race and came back and had been working with James Blaszko, who had a show at the Lincoln Center, which I went to and knew it was the perfect place for Soundcake. The next day, I told James my idea, and he said, “That actually sounds perfect for Lincoln Center—let me, let me propose it to them!” Next day I got a call saying not only did they want to do it, but they wanted to commission us to make it happen! And it was just amazing to see my little dream—my big dream!—come to life in front of me this this past month. I was almost in tears, just because I didn’t want to mess up my makeup. [Laughs.]
I was so humbled and proud just grateful for everyone who came. I’m grateful. And then we got to invite Monét into this, and Thorgy Thor—we all fully conceived of Soundcake together with James. They were very, very heavily involved, and it was a really wonderful time. And I kind of already miss it!
What would you say that art of opera means to you, especially in relation to your development and empowerment as a queer person?
Opera is just so drag, you know what I mean? It’s just so big and bold—you can’t subtly tell a story through opera. It’s always in your face, and that’s what I like the most about it. One of the arias I just sand was just about how amazing I am, how blessed I am to be a humble, humble angel of creative genius. [Laughs.] So opera is exactly how I feel in my heart: It’s big, it’s bold, and it’s not subtle.
An it helped me find myself because I didn’t have a voice like my friends who sang gospel in the church, I didn’t have a voice like my friends who sang R&B, or all that kind of stuff. I had the big voice, and where could I put this big thing to work the most was on the opera stage, where you don’t need a microphone. You just need to be able to yell—and if there’s one thing I can do is yell. [Laughs.] It’s just real. And it’s just draggy. Actually, when i found drag, I was like, “Wait, this is opera, too!”
Who is a queer or trans artist/performer/creator that you think is doing really cool work right now? Why are they someone we should all be paying attention to?
Just one!? Baby, there’s John Jarboe from Philadelphia, and they have a show called “Rose,’ which really helped me re-think the one-person show—it’s just so good. Then Eric Jaffe is one of my best friends and an amazing artist—when it comes to laughter, they have it on lock. Honey Davenport, also another one of my best friends; musician down, boots. She has helped me write a lot of the music I’m writing now. Ocean Kelly, honey, is such a stunner, and a hit-maker—you’re going to her all of the this we’re making soon.
And Sasha Velour is just going around doing god’s work, and she doesn’t even know it. Monét X Change? That new album is such a hit! Bob The Drag Queen? One of the funniest things that’s ever hit drag.
And I just want to say thank you to RuPaul. Because, if it weren’t for her doing all the heavy, heavy, heavy-lifting, then none of us would really be where we are today. So I just really want to say thank you RuPaul, because I am so incredibly grateful for this platform I’ve been giving. And I’m so grateful that I wasn’t giving it earlier, because I am currently very ready for it.
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